THIS BEAST-TAMER IS A LITTLE STRANGE

The air was suffocating, and it wasn’t because of the debris and ice kicked up from the collapsing cave—at least not completely.

Rather, if you were to ask Malzahir, the tense atmosphere would be because of his newfound companions.

Malzahir had been relieved to find them alive—at first. But as they walked deeper into the network of tunnels, away from the unstable site of collapse, his relief turned into confusion, then mild discomfort.

Kain and Serena flanked him, one on each side, like silent sentries escorting a prisoner. They weren’t walking together, not even close. There was a noticeable gap between them, and yet, somehow, Malzahir found himself caught in the middle of something he didn’t understand.

A strange, tense current crackled in the space between them. It wasn’t overt hostility—he’d recognize that easily enough—but it wasn’t camaraderie either. It was something else entirely that he couldn’t put a name to. But whatever this undercurrent of emotion was between them it made his skin prickle in unease.

He slowed his steps slightly, hoping to fall behind and give them space. Maybe they needed to talk. Maybe they wanted privacy.

They didn’t.

The moment he shifted position, the two of them instinctively widened the distance between each other, as if the invisible line that had tethered them had suddenly snapped. Both of them were now almost unnaturally stuck to travelling along opposite walls of the tunnel.

Now the silence felt even more awkward with the gaping chasm of space between them that Malzhair was no longer filling.

They didn’t look at each other. Not once.

Instead, they both directed their words to him. And only him.

The girl, ‘Serena’ he learned was her name, barely spoke the Southern language, but made a clear effort to incorporate some of its words in her speech to him. Her limited vocabulary made her normally fluid speech coming out clipped and measured as she went back and forth between the Empire’s tongue and the limited words she picked up while travelling the south.

He, in turn, stammered through his responses as he too tried to use both languages to communicate, but he also couldn’t help stammering due to his surprise at the sheer fact that she was speaking to him at all. Based on his first impressions of her, he thought she would just coldly ignore him, but it seems she was more welcoming than she looked…

Although, Malzahir couldn’t understand why she didn’t simply say what she wanted to communicate to her partner, who could then translate for her…

The boy, ‘Kain’, on the other hand, stuck to the Southern tongue. The conversation with him was more natural, easier, but Malzahir couldn’t ignore the fact that Kain didn’t so much as glance in the white-haired girl’s direction, not even when she spoke.

Something had definitely happened before he arrived…

The three of them emerged from the unstable tunnel into a wider, open cavern. The space was reminiscent of the other abandoned chambers Kain had come across before—artificially carved walls, remnants of forgotten machinery, and the lingering, unmistakable scent of age and decay.

Several crates lined the far side of the chamber, stacked haphazardly as if left in a rush. The trio wasted no time making their way over, grateful for something—anything—to distract from whatever strange atmosphere had taken root within their small group.

Kain reached a crate first and pried the lid off with little effort. Inside, the contents had long since turned to dust. A pungent, rotten scent wafted into the air, confirming what he initially suspected—food supplies, stored away and abandoned to time. Whatever had once been inside had long decayed beyond recognition.

Serena opened another crate. Empty. Whatever had been inside had either been taken or had deteriorated completely.

Malzahir sighed, running a hand through his hair. *”Nothing useful,”* he muttered in his own language, shaking his head.

Kain grunted in agreement, already moving to check another section of the cavern. Serena, silent, did the same.

And still, they did not look at each other once.

After scouring the chamber for anything remotely useful, or to find out any hidden threats before they relaxed here, they regrouped near the center of the cavern. The oppressive silence stretched on for another long moment before Malzahir finally spoke.

“I came…for you,” he stuttered in the unfamiliar language, but he wanted both Kain and Serena to understand him.

But both Kain and Serena just tilted their heads in confusion. ‘Did I use the wrong words?’

“I came for Idrias…” He continued, voice quieter now. His fingers curled around something in his palm, hesitation flickering across his face before he finally held it out to them.

A ring.

Kain’s breath stilled. Serena’s fingers twitched at her side. The insignia carved into the band was familiar and unmistakable.

“How did you get this?!” Kain exclaimed, while reaching to grab it. “This ring should be with—”

“…He’s dead,” Malzahir added, as if they hadn’t already guessed. After all, they didn’t know what had happened to Malzahir since they’d last seen him, but based on the pitiful amount of spiritual power on him they didn’t think he’d be able to steal or rob the 7-star Idrias.

But although they’d been mentally prepared, the weight of those words was like a punch in the gut.

A sharp inhale. A stiffened posture. A look of shock and horror that was impossible to mask.

‘Ahh…he must have been extremely close with them…’ Malzahir thought as his face shifted into an expression of pity, not knowing that they were more so emotional that one of the most experienced and skilled members in the entire Order had died without even his remains being found.

In the increasingly sombre air, Malzahir shifted, uncomfortable. He had done what was asked of him—he had delivered the ring Idrias had entrusted to him. There was no more reason to linger.

He turned to leave, already stepping toward one of the other tunnels leading out of the cavern. But before he could take another step—

*”Where are you going?”* Kain’s voice cut through the silence.

Malzahir stopped.

For some reason, leaving suddenly didn’t feel as simple as it should have been.

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